"Creativity takes courage" - Henri Matisse

Studio Sessions: Weekend Journals

May 18, 2017

I had such a great response to my Studio Sessions that I thought it was high time to put together another one. Just to recap, this is where I interview inspirational creative folk to find out what makes them tick and what fires them up.

This month I’m featuring the fantastic Milly and Simon from Weekend Journals. Weekend Journals is a gorgeous guide book on Cornwall, completely different to anything else out there and the ultimate stylish coffee table staple. It currently has pride of place on my coffee table where people can look (but not touch! Ha!) it. I’ve followed Weekend Journals since they began but I was really excited to meet them recently and be invited to their recent book launch and it turns out they are authentic, down to earth and lovely folk. Here’s what they had to say when I picked their brain over a delicious Box and Barber coffee:

What made you start Weekend Journals?

Milly has been writing about food and travel on her blog (thoroughlymodernmilly.com) for many years and we are both keen travellers and explorers! We have a large collection of travel guides and felt there was a gap in the market for beautiful travel guides on areas of Britain and abroad.Where do you get your inspiration from?

Experiencing new places, meeting new people, hearing new stories…

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned on the journey?

There is a lot more involved in producing a travel guide (or set of guides) than we originally thought. It was a challenge to get the print process right as there are so many options and variables – it was a steep learning curve!

What does a typical day look like?

Weekend Journals was started as a passion-project for all of us, so we have other “day-jobs” on the side. Our days are very varied, from packing books for orders, to interacting on social media, to researching new destinations and venues… as well as the “glamorous” research visits to restaurants and hotels, there’s a lot of less-glamorous administration!

What is your advice to a young creative setting out on your path?

Go for it! But don’t give up your day-job straight away, keep money ticking in from other streams so that you don’t put added pressure on your creative project. That way it will keep it exciting and hopefully limit the amount of stress on your project.

What book most inspires you?

The many minimal and beautiful magazines and books that are becoming more and more popular as coffee-table style guides.

What is your vision for the future?

We would like to create a collection of travel guides. And be seen as an influential travel advisor for the destinations we feature.

Why Weekend Journals as a name?

We spent a long time thinking about a name and the emotions that certain words convey. We eventually came upon Weekend for the first part as it expresses the feeling of freedom and adventure and independence.

Some people say print publications are dying and that the consumer is moving to online only. What are your thoughts on this and what made you create a printed book?

Print is having a resurgence as people are valuing having something tangible – something they can own and show friends and have on display. The internet gives everyone access to so much information, so more and more people are starting to appreciate owning a book with a curated list of recommendations that they feel they can trust.

What are you most looking forward to for 2017/18?

Our next book in the collection… to be announced in the summer of 2017!

Thanks guys, I love my copy of the book and I’m very excited to read the next book you produce (any excuse to encourage a weekend trip!). For further information or to order the stunning Weekend Journals book on Cornwall, visit their website here.